Ten people includes Radio Maria Journalist arrested in northern Bujumbura

Ten people including a journalist at Radio Maria were arrested on 2 October evening at 9th Avenue of Mutakura neighborhood in the northern part of the Burundian capital.

“Several soldiers and policemen came running. Some of them entered a house where they found people holding a meeting of their association while others surrounded the house. After some minutes of discussion, they took those people in police pickups to an unknown destination, “said a domestic met at the place of arrest.

A young lady who is housed by one of the arrested people added that the chief of zone accompanied soldiers and policemen who arrested ten persons from the locality including Salvator Nahimana, a journalist at Radio Maria; according to Iwacu media.

“Some of those soldiers intimidated me accusing me of hiding suspicious people in the house. They conducted a search of the entire house, but found nothing suspicious as it is still under construction, “she said.

She also indicates that the victims’ families worry about the fate of the men unjustly arrested. She asks the authorities to release them without any condition because they have left their families alone.

Pierre Nkurikiye, the police spokesperson, gives another version: “They are accused of holding a suspicious and unauthorized meeting to disrupt security. They were preparing for the collection of food for armed groups”. He states that they are ten in number and are detained at the National Intelligence Service (SNR) to help the police with their inquiries.